The present invention generally relates to games of strategy and particularly is directed to a geopolitical game of strategy emphasizing the complex interplay of a plurality of factors correlated to national development. This invention therefore, is specially adapted for a plurality of players who, as "heads of state" control the development and growth of imaginary nation states in an imaginary world. This game is accordingly, one of contemporary world economic strategy and power politics which parallels the mechanics of international relations in the real world and wherein the goal for each player is to negotiate survival and achieve the highest development for the player's nation as represented by a score of point factors representative of diplomacy and international problem solving.
Many games developed in the past are simple "race" games wherein each player somewhat independently pursues an objective with the first player reaching the objective winning the game. Various obstacles are placed in the path of the players which must be overcome in reaching the goal and, in some instances, these games have some interaction among the player's game pieces. Other typical games developed in the past include attack and capture games wherein each player pursues a basic predatory course of play in an effort to eliminate each of the other players through strategic skill or as a result of random chance.
Some games developed in the past have sought to expand on these two rather simple concepts in structuring a gaming environment which causes the players to interact with one another in a more political arena. Even these games of cooperative self-interest are directed to military strategy, independent of the fundamental underpinnings of a social, industrial, technology and economic development which are precursors to military capabilities. More specifically, these existing games stress the success of military operations as the primary goal of the game rather than the use of military force as a last means of conflict resolution.
The present invention, then, expands upon the interplay among the participants by creating an environment wherein the players are placed within a world model and are forced to develop respective nation states through cooperative self-interest influenced by both controllable and random events. Thus, the present invention more closely models the macrocosm of the real world rather than the microcosm of simple military deployment. Even though the geopolitical strategy game described in this invention still places the participant in adversarial roles, the present game does not isolate either the actions taken by each player or each player's strategy. Rather, the present game fosters the interplay of actions and strategies.